Carl Towns.Com - The Official Web Site

Carl was born in Guntersville, Alabama. Shortly after, the family moved to Lookout Mountain Georgia, where Carl was raised.

The third child of Joe and Polly Towns, who were members of the Southern Travelers and later, The Lookout Mountain Quartet, Carl grew up listening to his mother and dad sing the old hymns intertwined with Bluegrass and the old country. If anyone was country when country wasn't cool, Carl definitely fit the bill. At the age of 9, he was ridiculed for bringing a "Truck Drivin' Son of Gun " album to school for "music day". But that was Carl's raising, he had heard it from the time he was in his mothers womb and it became instilled in his very being.
As Carl grew, his talents did as well. He first picked up a mandolin at the age of 10, but laid it back down after only few months, disinterested. At 14 Carl began learning the Bass, his hunger to learn all things music led him to learn the guitar shortly thereafter, and at age 18, he returned to his first love, the Mandolin.

Carl's singing abilities were first discovered at the early age of 3, he first began to sing with his family in churches. By 6 he was leading and singing harmony. Carl's talents continued to be nurtured as the family joined with Jackie Tinker to form "The Bluegrass Harmoneers" which officially began in 1983. This group would change members only one time in their 15+ year history together, touring much of the Southeast and parts of the Northeastern United States. The Bluegrass Harmoneers also hosted Dillard's Music Park in Rome, GA for several seasons until that festival was discontinued. Many bands crossed the stage at Dillard's and Carl learned from each one of them.
Carl left the group in 1998 after he signed with an independent label and toured Sweden, Denmark and Austria for three months in that summer as a Country Music artist. When Carl returned to the states, he returned to Bluegrass, and has never strayed since.

Upon his return, Carl ventured out with his mother, dad and some friends in a group known as Cherokee Wind who were on the go for a while until Carl's mother got sick. During her illness, Carl continued to play with other groups, but when his Mother passed away in 2006. The music within him seemed to have died as well...for a time. 2 years before her passing, Carl was being blessed with songs of a different nature, a different feel and sound, which lay silent for some time.

Those songs have awakened as Carl's faith has kept him on solid ground. Carl is currently recording some of these songs on his latest project.

Through the various configurations he has played in, Carl has opened for many of the top artists in Bluegrass: Allison Krauss, Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, The Osborne Bros., Jim and Jesse, Charlie Louvin and countless others. This experience and the influences of these artists and more brought about the sound that you will hear in Carl's music, from traditional to more modern styles of Bluegrass.

Carl Towns, Bluegrass music from the soul.